Florist
by tea-with-emilia
Summary: Set a year after the team defeats Cronus and go their separate ways, ready to start their new lives and move on from the hero life. JT oneshot :)


Jay strolled down the street, his hands in his pockets. The street was busy enough: people milled around, and the cafes were comfortably full as he passed them. The sun was gentle today, and the breeze was cool and pleasant.

A florist came up on his left, and the beautiful flower smells wafted over to him. It had been a while since Jay had bought flowers for anyone, but the scents brought back memories. Jay found himself wandering in under the old wooden sign that read "Florist", pushing open the glass door that opened with a creak of wood, squeaking on its hinges.

The room was a plethora of colours, from the roses poking out in round circles to the sunflowers that dotted the room at every corner. It was warm, that's what it was: inviting and loving in it's embrace of all the shades of the rainbow. Polished wood floors gleamed, and flowers burst from every inch of the shop, including all across the unattended counter. It was a wonder they ever got any customers: Jay wasn't sure where they'd all fit, with all these flowers everywhere.

Jay began surveying the flowers nearest the window, lost in thought.

"Can I help you with anything?" Asked a female voice from behind Jay, strangely familiar.

"No, I'm okay." Jay said as he began to turn around, an apologetic smile on his face. "Just browsing…Theresa?" He trailed off as his eyes flitted to the shop assistant, taking in her long red hair and green eyes. She wore denim shorts and a t-shirt, and a black apron over the top, her hair pulled back in a high ponytail.

"Jay!" She said, recognising him now. "I didn't realise you were in town."

Jay dug his hands further into his pockets. "I'm not really. Meant to be driving through, and I stopped by to stretch my legs."

"So you're working now?"

Jay shrugged. "Yea. Apprentice architect, actually. I'm meant to be driving out to a site before I stopped over. I take it you're working too?"

"Yea. I'm still studying communications at the university, but I work here part time."

For a moment, the conversation paused. The pair stood awkwardly in the flower shop, the floral aroma quietly intoxicating. Both their eyes skittered around the store, looking anywhere but at each other.

"Any flowers you're eyeing off?" Theresa asked quickly, knitting her fingers together.

"Uh, not really. I can't really afford any at the moment." Jay apologised, running his hand through his hair. "Turns out architects don't earn much when they're still apprentices."

"I'm sure you'll earn more once you get started fully." She said comfortingly, her eyes still surveying Jay tenderly.

"Yea… hopefully." Jay paused before adding, "I should probably go. You know, see this site."

'Wouldn't want to make you late." Theresa teased easily. "I should serve these customers anyway, I can't really hold them up any more." She began to head back to the counter now, her long ponytail swinging with the rhythm of her walk. "You should drop in again sometime."

"Sure, yeah." Said Jay, "See you, Theresa."

* * *

Jay's visit plagued Theresa for many days afterwards. Often while she was serving customers she would be distracted by another customer entering the store that had the same brown hair, or the same loping walk as Jay. One time, someone came in who wore that same ugly purple and yellow sweater, but Theresa took only a moment to register that it wasn't him. Each time, she would quickly apologise to her customers for getting distracted, and quickly pull together the ribbons on the various bouquets, her hands deft yet shaking.

And then, one day, she looked up to see hair that looked like his as she was wrapping roses. Her eyes flitted across the room, but practice now had taught her better than to stare or get distracted, and she quickly looked back down at the red roses she'd been arranging.

"Sorry, was that twelve roses or thirteen?" She asked apologetically.

"Twelve, dear." The woman responded. "Thirteen's an unlucky number."

"Of course." Said Theresa, before returning to focus on trimming the stalks to the same lengths.

Theresa was tying the bouquet of 12 roses together with her signature bow when she heard him speak.

"Oh, no, I'm not buying anything, you go ahead."

It was definitely him.

_Back to the roses,_ Theresa told herself.

"Agh!" She gave a small gasp of pain, the rose's thorn having pricked her. "Sorry," she added to the woman waiting. She sucked her finger, then quickly finished off the bouquet and handed it to the woman, quickly exchanging the money. She looked up, expecting to see another customer. Instead, she found her eyes travelling up to meet Jay's.

"Oh, hey!" She said, smiling brightly. "I'll be right back. I just have to get a bandaid." She hurried back to the little kitchenette, fossicking briefly through the florist's small medical box. She reached up on her tippy toes, but someone obviously taller than her had placed the box higher than she could reach.

"I'll get those for you." He said. Theresa didn't realise he'd followed her in.

"That's okay, I'll just use my powers." She said, winking as they stood in the narrow kitchenette, one side lined with counter tops, the opposite filled with cupboards. The box immediately began to float, hovering down gently to land in her hands.

"I guess you don't get many opportunities to use your powers anymore." He said, watching as Theresa wrapped the bandaid around her finger.

"You've got that right." She said, chuckling. "Being psychic is much less useful when you're not fighting immortal gods every day of the week." Jay didn't respond, so Theresa continued on quickly. "I take it you're off to another site?"

"The same one, actually. They're part way through construction, so I get to check up on them."

"I bet that's fun."

"It's not too bad, actually… so, what have you been up to?" Jay asked now.

"Oh, you know, much of the same. I'm finished exams for the year now, so that's a relief. How about you?"

Jay looked at his feet, one foot pawing at the ground. "Yea, not much. It's taking a while to adjust to life after being heroes."

"Well, it hasn't even been a year. Give it time." Said Theresa, ever positive. The bell at the counter rang, piercing their bubble for a moment. "Oh, I better go." She added, quickly shoving the medical box back at a more approachable height. As she wandered back over to serve the customers, she added to Jay:

"My shift ends at four. Do you want to come to mine afterwards?"

Jay shoved his hands in his pockets, eyes darting away. "Nah. I should really get a move on. Sorry."

Theresa was about to respond when a very picky customer spoke up. "Miss? I've been waiting here for a while now."

"Oh, sorry." Theresa apologised, quickly tending to them. "How can I help you?"

The bell of the shop's door clanged sweetly, and Jay was already gone.

* * *

Days stretched into months as Jay found himself back at the florist thrice more, each time his feet carrying him in before he had the good sense to tell himself otherwise. They had to move on with their lives, Jay had told himself resolutely. He shouldn't hold Theresa back from a normal life. She still had a whole future ahead of her, and it wasn't Jay's right to taint it with memories of their time spent in a world to which they could never return.

And yet, Jay still found himself in the little wooden shop. Each time she would greet him kindly, but now she knew better than to ask if he wanted to buy anything. They caught up on each other's lives in snippets: small talk about university and apprenticeships, about buying apartments and cars, complaints about picky customers and dodgy builders. From each other's brief responses in the moments they shared, Jay and Theresa began to slowly stitch together an understanding of the lives they now led.

Jay's eyes couldn't help but flit to Theresa's fingers, quietly terrified of finding a ring there. But her slender hands were always bare. Jay reminded himself that they were still very young, and marriage was probably off the cards at this stage.

Sometimes they caught up during Theresa's break, over take away coffee Jay had grabbed on the way in. Other times they simply chatted between Theresa serving customers, or as she watered flowers or trimmed stems. Each time Theresa would give a sad little smile when Jay said he had to go, always too soon.

It was for the best.

* * *

It was a cold autumn day when he came in again. Theresa hadn't seen many customers that day, and she was grateful: between doing odd jobs, she was trying to speed read a transcript of a lecture she'd missed the other day. It was as she was crouched over the paper, pen in hand, her shift almost over now, that his familiar voice spoke.

"Hey, Theresa." He said, standing in front of the counter. She put her pen down, standing up now and smiling genuinely.

"Hey. Isn't that house almost finished now?" She asked, folding the paper back up.

"Yea, it's done now. Signed off on it last week."

"So, uh, you're actually here to buy flowers for once?" She asked, giggling.

"Actually, yes." Jay responded. Theresa tried to hide her disappointment- he must have someone to buy flowers for.

"Well then, I guess I should do my job. What can I get you?" Theresa had put the smile back on her face now, trying to remain light and buoyant. _You shouldn't be feeling this way,_ she reminded herself.

"Umm…" Jay's forehead scrunched itself in thought, like it used to do in the old times. "I dunno. What flowers do you have?"

Theresa began showing Jay around the shop, pointing out the various flowers.

"Carnations there, they come in a few colours."

"And these are chrysanthemums, they're often a hit, but they're a bit pricey."

"We're basically out of lilies, which is a shame…"

"Roses are always nice, and you can get 12 for $25 today."

"And these are my personal favourite." She said, stopping in front of sunflowers. "Some people think they're a bit bright, but I've always had a soft spot for them."

"I'll have 10 of those, then."

"You sure she likes sunflowers?" Theresa asked, as she gathered the stalks.

Jay smiled to himself. "Yea."

Theresa quickly bundled the flowers, making ever more small talk with Jay as she roughly tied the bouquet together, typing the wrong price in twice before she finally got it right. "Sorry about this." She said, as she re-entered the price again. "I always muddle things up when I'm in a hurry, and it's the end of my shift."

"I'll walk you home."

Theresa was surprised at the proposal, but tried to keep herself in check. "Sure." She handed Jay the bouquet before grabbing her stuff.

* * *

Jay waited outside the door, weight shifting foot to foot, clutching the bouquet at his side. His stomach was lead with the regret Jay felt at what he was doing. Lost in his moment of brooding, Theresa flounced out of the door, her apron stuffed into her bag.

"Alright, I'm ready." She said as she pulled the florist's door shut, the shop's bell giving a petite peal as they left.

"Oh, right." Jay responded, pulling himself out of his thoughts. "So, where do you live?" He asked casually, walking alongside Theresa.

"Dad helped me with a loan for an apartment nearby. A terrace, actually. It's only two blocks away."

"Sounds nice."

"I don't mind it."

Jay's eyes were mostly glued to the footpath, watching his feet with every step over the grey cement. _Shouldn't shouldn't shouldn't…._ Jay told himself as he watched his shoes scuff the concrete.

"Something wrong, Jay?" Theresa asked, severing their light banter. She was always so good at spotting him when he was brooding.

Jay sighed. "I shouldn't be doing this."

"Jay, just because we had to leave the Brownstone doesn't mean we have to leave everyone."

"Yea, but… I should be letting you move on." He finally said, that leaden weight still hanging.

"That's my job." She said, smiling. "And maybe I don't want to."

Jay smiled in spite of her. A tiny pinprick of hope, of love or warmth, took hold of his heart. _Maybe, maybe after all…_

"These are for you." He said, handing Theresa the bouquet before he could talk himself out of it.

The smile his words brought her was all the proof Jay needed to know that this was the right choice.

* * *

A tiny butterfly began to flutter quietly in Theresa's heart, a fist suddenly clenching with joy as she processed his words. She took a moment to look into Jay's eyes, her smiling eyes meeting his before she threw her arms around Jay in a hug. "Thanks." She murmured into his ear.

"Any time." He whispered into her ear.

"So…" Theresa began, holding the flowers. "You wanna stay the night?"

"Love to." Said Jay, grinning.


End file.
